Truss



March 16, 1937. A, FRITSCH 2,673,787

TRUSS Filed July 12, 1935 il'xsch SHOW Patented Mar. 16, 1937 j UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

This invention aims to provide a novel means for retaining truss pads ofdifierent sizes, to provide novel means whereby a truss pad may bemounted for rotatable adjustment, to provide novel means whereby thetruss pad may be mounted tiltably, and to provide novel means forholding the pad in any position to which it may have been tilted.

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and toenhance the utility of devices of that type to which the inventionappertains.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination. andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made within thescope of what is claimed, Without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 shows in elevation, a device constructed in accordance with theinvention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan;

Fig. 3 is a top plan wherein the pad and attendant parts appear insection;

Fig. 4 is a plan of the inner washer;

Fig. 5 is a plan of the retaining disk.

The letter P marks a truss pad, which may be constructed as desired. Thepad P comprises a resilient body l, located within a flexible cover 2secured to a base 3, which may be of leather. The base 3 projectsoutwardly beyond the body of the pad to form, a marginal bead 4. Thebase 3 is provided with a central opening 23;

l A metalinner washer 5 is bound between the body I of the pad and thebase 3, the opening 6 of the washer registering with the opening 23 inthe base l3. The numeral I designates a metal retainingdisklhaving anoffset hub 8 provided with openings [8, the hub forming a marginalflange 9 in the retaining disk I. The flange 9 of the retaining disk Iis bound between the inner washer 5 and the body I of the pad. The hub 8extends into the opening 6 of the washer 5 to prevent the retaining disk1 from slipping laterally.

The letter B designates a back plate, preferably made of metal anddivided along a longitudinal line In to form parts ll provided in theirinner edges with notches forming an opening 24 in the back plate, theopening 24 of the back plate being 5 in registration with the opening 23of the base 3.

The parts ll of the back plate B are supplied with an inwardly inclinedlip l2 which grips the bead 4 of the pad P closely. Slits l4 may beformed in the lip, l2, to facilitate the making of the lip, but thisconstruction is not insisted upon. .Links l5 are disposed against theouter surface of the back plate B and extend across the line I!) ofdivision of the parts ll of the back plate, the links 15 havelongitudinal slots It, through which extend securing elements l1,threaded into the parts ll of the back plate B, the heads of the screwsengaging the links l5.

An outer retainer in the form of a washer [9, preferably of metal, restsagainst the outer surface of the parts ll of the back plate and extendsacross the dividing line H], the opening in the outer washer l 9 beingmarked by the numeral 29.

The outer washer I9 is bridged across by a rigid connector 20 havinghookshaped eyes 2| at its ends, the connector being long enough so thatthe bends of the hooks 2| can bear on the outer surface of the washerl9. Securing devices 30 such as screws, extend through the hooks 21 ofthe connector 20, through the opening 29 of the washer l9, through theopening 24 in the back plate, and through the opening 23 in the base 3of the pad P. The securing devices 30 are threaded into the openings [8of the retaining disk 1.

The intermediate portion of the connector 20 is received in an eye 22formed at the end of a double-walled arm 25 attached by securingelements 26 to the resilient body-engaging member 27 of the truss. Anadjusting device 28 is threaded into the arm 25 and bears against theback plate B, between the connector 20 and the end of the body-engagingmember 21. The bodyengaging member 21 generally terminates in a strap(not shown) which may be connected to the outwardly projecting portionof the adjusting device or screw 28.

.By. setting up the screws 30, the outer washer E9, the base 3, the bodyI, the inner washer 5 and the retaining disk I are bound tightlytogether. The pad P can tilt for adjustment, owing to the fact that theconnector 20 is received in the eye 22 of the arm 25. The pad may betilted to the desired position by moving the screw 28 in or out, and thepad will be held, by the said screw, in any positon to which the pad mayhave been tilted, an observation which will be understood readily whenFig. 3 is noted. By loosening the screws 30, the pad may be rotated toany position which the operator may select.

It is to be observed that by loosening the screws H, the parts I I ofthe back plate B may be moved in or out, thereby adapting the back plateto receive and hold securely, truss pads of difierent sizes.

What is claimed is:

1. A back plate for a truss pad, comprising stiff, plate-likepad-engaging parts disposed approximately in the same plane andlaterally adjustable to accommodate pads of different sizes, andmechanism for holding said parts in adjusted, pad-engaging positions,said mechanism embodying transversely spaced members extended across theinner edges of the pad-engaging parts, and means for joining the endportions of each of said members to the respective pad-engaging parts,

2. A back plate for a truss pad, said back plate comprising pad-engagingparts which are laterally adjustable to accommodate pads of differentsizes, and mechanism for holding said parts in adjusted, pad-engagingpositions, said mechanism comprising a link, means for securing the linkto one part of the back plate, and clamping means connecting the link toanother of said parts of the back plate, the link having an elongatedslot receiving the clamping means slidably, to permit said parts of theback plate to be adjusted toward and away from each other.

3. A back plate for a truss pad, said back plate comprising pad-engagingparts which are laterally adjustable to accommodate pads of differentsizes, and mechanism for holding said parts in adjusted, pad-engagingpositions, said mechanism comprising a link and a clamping meansconnecting the link to each of said parts of the back plate, the linkbeing movable longitudinally with respect to each clamping means whenboth clamping means are loosened.

4. A back plate for a truss pad, said back plate comprising pad-engagingparts which are laterally adjustable to accommodate pads of differentsizes, and mechanism for holding said parts in adjusted, pad-engagingpositions, said mechanism comprising a link having an elongated slot,and clamp screws in the slot and connecting the link with said parts ofthe back plate, the slot being longer than the distance between theclampscrew.

5. A back plate for a truss pad, said back plate comprising pad-engagingparts which are laterally adjustable to accommodate pads of differentsizes, and mechanism for holding said parts in adjusted, pad-engagingpositions, said mechanism comprising a link having a slot, means forsecuring the link to one part of the back plate, and clamping means inthe slot and engaging another part of the back plate, the slot beinglong enough to permit adjustment of saidparts of the back plate towardand away from each other.

6. In a device of the class described, a truss pad comprising a base, aninner retainer and an outer retainer between which the base is gripped,spaced tightening devices joining the retainers, a connector engaged bythe tightening devices and held thereby in binding relation to the outerretainer, and an arm mounted on the connector, the outer retainer beinga washer having an opening, the connector extending across the openingand having eyes overlapped on the washer, the tightening devices passingthrough the eyes.

'7. In a device of the class described, a truss pad comprising a base,an inner retainer and an outer retainer between which the base isgripped, spaced tightening devices joining the retainers, a connectorengaged by the tightening devices and held thereby in binding relationto the outer retainer, and an arm mounted on the connector, the outerretainer being a washer having an opening, the connector extendingacross the opening and having eyes overlapped on the washer, thetightening devices passing through the eyes, and an adjusting devicemovably mounted in the arm and engaging the pad, in spaced relation tothe connector.

8. A device of the class described comprising a truss pad including abase having an opening, a single inner washer engaging the inner surfaceof the base and having a single opening of approximately the same sizeas the opening in the base, an outer washer cooperating with the outersurface of the base and having a single opening of approximately thesame size as the opening in the base, a retaining disk having aprojecting hub defining a flange engaging the inner surface of the innerwasher, the hub fitting closely in the opening of the inner washer,clamping devices passing through the opening of the outer washer and ofthe base close to the peripheries of said openings, the clamping devicesengaging the hub of the retaining disk, a rod like connector bridgingthe opening in the outer washer and having eyes receiving the clampingdevices and bound thereby against the outer surface of the outer washer,and an arm mounted to swing on the connector, between the clampingdevices.

9. In a device of the class described, a truss pad having internalanchorage means and provided with a base having an opening, a washercooperating with the outer surface of the base and having an opening, arod like connector extended across the opening of the washer and havingeyes overlapped upon the outer surface of the washer, the clampingdevices being engaged with the anchorage means, and with the eyes, theclamping devices passing through the opening of the washer and theopening of the base, said openings being of such size as to permit thepad to be adjusted by axial rotation when the clamping devices areloosened, and means mounted on the connector, between the eyes, forjoining the pad to the body-engaging member of a truss.

LEWIS A. FRITSCH.

